Electric heater.



S. M. 6L J. :1. UARMEAN.

ELECTRIC HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED DE C.8. 19w.

1 ,288,506. Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

ED ATES PATENT oFFIoE.

SAMUEL M. CAR/MEAN AND JAMES H. CARMEAN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

ELECTRIC HEATER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL M. GAR- MEAN and James H. CARMEAN, citizens of the United States, residing at "Kansas City, in the countyof Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Heaters; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to electric heaters and has for its principal object to provide an improved device of that character whereby the colder air of a room may be taken up, circulated over, or discharged through a heating element to quickly raise the temperature of the room in which the device is located.

It is a further object of the invention to so construct the device that, when it is not desired for heating purposes, it may be used, by disconnecting the heating units, for creating a circulation of air within a room with the ame result as that attained by .use of an electric fan.

lfn most of the heating devices in use at the present time, including electric, steam and hot water radiators and stoves, the air immediately surrounding the heating unit is raised to an excessively high temperature and by convection rises to the ceiling of the room where it remains until cooled and replaced bv the heated air rising from the heater, and the result is, that the heat intended to warm the room is largely spent where it is not felt; It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a heating device wherein the apparent waste of heat energy is eliminated and the time required in producing a desired temperature is substantially lessened.

in accomplishing these and otherobjects of the invention, we have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which ar illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure I is aside view of a heating device constructed according to the present invention.

H is a horizontal sectional view of the same on the line ii-H, Fig. 1".

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

Serial No. 206,173.

Fig. III is a longitudinal vertical section on the line III-III, Fig. II.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates an electric heating device embodying the present invention, which in its preferred form of construction comprises a base or supporting ed, so that it may be held slightly spaced from a floor or other support, on legs 3 fixed to the corners of the base Mounted adjacent one end of the base member 2 is a fan or blower housing 4 comprising a cylindrical central portion 5 wherein a horizontally revoluble blower fan 6 is mounted and having a dome or top housing 7 formed therewith and opening rhereinto wherein an electrically driven motor 8 is mounted and which supports and operates the fan 6.

The housing 4: is supported by an integrally formed, centrally located neck 9 provided at it base with an apertured flange 10 for receiving screws or the like 11 where by the housing may be fixed to a supporting block 12 mounted on the base 2; the neck 9 having an opening 13 therethrough opening at its upper end into the housing and communicating at its opposite end with an opening 14 which extends through the block 12 and base 2, so that operation of the fan or blower draws the air from below the fan -or blower r beneath the base, through the cooperating openings and into the fan hous-- ing 5.

Attached to the under side of the base plate about the forward side of the opening 14 is a downwardly and rearwardly in lined deflector plate 15 which is so located that air intaken by the blower will be drawn from the rear end of the device and thus avoid taking in any of the heated air that is delivered from the forward end.

In order to regulate the size of the intake opening so that a proper amount of air may be taken up by the blower, we have provided a plate 16 that is slidablv attached beneath the base by screws 17 that extend through longitudinally extending slots 17' in the plate. The plate may be adjusted outwardly to provide a free passage through the opening 14 or may be adjusted to partially or entirely close the same.

At the forward side of the fan housing is an opening 20 through which air, intaken through the base openings and 1 1, is discharged into a forwardly extending tube 21;

plate 2 which is mount the latter gradually increasing in diameter toward its forward end and forming a heating chamber 22 wherein one or more electrical heating coils 23 are mounted, the forward end of the tube having a slightly restricted opening 24 wherefrom the air current is discharged into the room.

In the present device we have shown two of the heating coils 23 although it is not desired to limit the device to this particular number, as it is apparent that one or more will be used according to the amount of heat it is desired to generate, and the particular form of blower fan or motor used is immaterial to the operation of the device so long as a desirable blast of air through the heating chamber may bemaintained thereby.

The electrical connections for controlling the operation of the device comprise the main circuit wires 25-26, through which a current is controlled by a switch 27 and leading respectively from the said circuit wires to the motor are circuit wires 28-29 through which a circuit is closedor opened by the control switch 27 to energize the motor to operate the blower fan 6.

Interposed in the circuit wire 28 'is a rheostat 30 whereby the amount of current delivered to the motor may be varied, to operate the fan at various speeds to intake and discharge a desired volume of air from the heating chamber.

Leading from the main circuit wire 25 to one of the poles of each of the coils 23 are circuit wires 31-32 and leading from the circuit wire 26 to the opposite poles of the co lsare circuit wires 33-34; the electric circult being controlled through the latter by switches 35 and 36 interposed therein and mounted conveniently on the base plate 2.

Assuming that the heating device is so constructed, and properly connected with an electric circuit by the wires, 25-26, in using I the device it is preferable to place the same on the floor of the room to be heated where the temperature is the lowest. By leaving the rheostat open and by closing a circuit through the coils by closing the switches 35-36, the coils are soon brought to the proper heat. The rheostat switch is then closed to energize the motor which operates the fan to draw a current of air into the blower housing through the channels or openings id -15 and discharges the air from the housing through the opening 20 into the tube 21 and chamber 22 where it is heated by the coils 23 and discharged through the opening 2% into the room at a high temperature.

Tt'is apparent that the degree to which the air is heated may be governed by the numher and size of the heating coils used, the amount of current and the capacity and velocity of the fan and that by use of the proper number of eoiis and by operating the fan at a proper velocity, rooms of various sizes may be heated and maintained at a desired temperature wit-houtany appreciable loss of heat energy.

It is noted-that by the use of the fan or blower, the entire volume of air within-a room may be quickly heated and is circu-- 'lated so that an even temperature in all parts of the room is maintained. The device is thereby distinguished from the electric heaters of the usual type which are not provided with an air circulating means which permits a small volume of air to be heated to an unnecessarily high temperature, the energy of which is largely spent at the ceiling of the room.

It is further apparent that the present device may be readily moved about in a room, the air gathered from the floor where the temperature is lowest, and discharged in a heated condition in the direction desired. It is preferable that the air be discharged horizontally so that the heat may be more evenly distributed but it is apparent that-the device may be so placed that the current may be directed vertically or in any other desired direction without departing from th spirit oi the invention. Y

It will be seen that by operating the fan with the heating coils disconnected from the current air may be circulated and the device thereby serve the purpose of an electric fan.

It is apparent that a device of this character is relatively inexpensive, sanitary, conveniently operated, requires no appreciable amount of attention, creates no dust or soot, and necessitates no chimneys or fiues.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. A heating device comprising a horizontal base having an opening therein, a

horizontal fan housing on said base having,

an opening in its bottom in communication with said base opening, a conduit opening at one end through the side of the fan housing and open at its opposite end, a heating unit in said conduit, a fan in said housing adapted for drawing air from beneath the base through said base and housing openings and delivering the same through said conduit, and a deflector at the side of the base opening adjacent the delivery end of the conduit.

2. A heating device of the character described comprising a supporting base mem-- I her, a fan housing mounted on the base memher having an intake and a discharge opening; a coil housing having opposite end openings; the inner end communicating with the discharge opening of the fan housing; said coil housing gradually increasing in diameter toward its outer end to form an enlarged heating chamber, heating coils located in said chamber, a motor mounted on rec the fan housing and operatively connected with the fan, and means for controlling an electric current through said motor and heating coils for the purposesetforth.

, 3.'A heating device of the character described, comprisinga supporting base plate havin an opening therethrough, a slide plate %Xed to said base movable to regulate the area of said base opening, a fan housing mounted on said base member having intake and discharge openings; the intake opening being in communication with the said base opening, a coil housing having opposite end openings; the inner end being in communication with the discharge opening of the fan housing and said coil housing gradually increasing in diameter toward its outer end to form an enlarged heating chamber, a motor mounted on the fan housing and operatively connected with the fan and means for controlling an electric current through the motor lrind heating coils for; the purpose set fort v In testimony whereof we aflix our signa tures.

SAMUEL Mi CARMEAN. JAMES H. CARMEAN. 

